Sliema’s Struggles: Residents Left Behind by a Pro-Business Government

 

From Seaside Charm to Concrete Jungle

Sliema and its neighbouring towns—St. Julian’s and Gżira—have become the business and commercial heart of Malta. While that may sound like progress, the reality for residents tells a different story. What was once a peaceful seaside town known for its Victorian charm and Art Deco elegance has now been transformed into a dense urban sprawl, choked with high-rise apartments, relentless traffic, and unregulated commercial activity.

Plots of land once housing a single family now accommodate ten to fifteen households. Many of these are short-term lets, offices, or multi-car households, but few buildings offer enough garage space. Congestion has become unbearable. And while residents are expected to adjust, the government continues to favour business development over liveability.

Economic Growth Without Balance

For over a decade under the Labour government, the pace of development has been relentless. Sliema—already densely built—has been pushed to breaking point. The government’s focus has been on enabling growth and attracting business, while the needs of residents have been ignored.

A glaring example of this disregard was the suspension of the residential parking scheme—one of the government’s earliest decisions. In a locality where space is already scarce, residents suddenly found themselves in a daily struggle to find parking, competing with office workers, diners, delivery vans, and tourists. The resulting frustration is not only understandable—it was entirely predictable.

Local Councils Undermined

Local councils, the level of government closest to the people, have found themselves increasingly sidelined. Under Labour, there has been a clear trend of eroding local authority and replacing it with regional structures that lack sensitivity to local needs.

The 2024 Social Impact Assessment made this flaw painfully clear. Sliema was grouped with Birkirkara, Għargħur, and Lija—localities with very different challenges. Despite the quality of the academic work, the study’s relevance was diluted, and its findings have since been ignored.This kind of centralised approach does nothing for the residents who live with the consequences of poor planning every day.

A Questionable Motion from Labour

Against this backdrop, it’s difficult not to be cynical when Labour councillor Ryan Borg presents a motion for a Carrying Capacity Study just days after PN leader Dr. Bernard Grech announced a similar initiative. The timing alone suggests political opportunism. Mr. Borg even took to social media, claiming credit and implying Dr. Grech should have acknowledged his initiative. But gestures mean little when they come from representatives of the same party that caused the crisis in the first place.

Mr. Borg has also accused the Sliema Local Council—led by Mayor John Pillow and other PN representatives—of failing to cooperate with the government on reinstating residential parking. This, despite the fact that it was Labour that suspended the scheme in the first place. The council has, in fact, long advocated for its return. It is not cooperation that has been lacking—it’s government interest.

The Problem with the Motion Itself

Even the motion itself raises eyebrows. It includes no costing, no implementation plan, and suggests that the council should bear the financial burden. A second version of the motion had previously proposed a cost-sharing arrangement with the government and was expected to be presented alongside the mayor. But that plan was scrapped, and instead, a new version was tabled—seconded by the Labour minority leader.

Why the sudden shift? And what does it say about Labour’s sincerity?

A Responsible PN-Led Council

As a PN-majority council, we cannot accept a motion that asks us to pay for a study likely to be ignored, just like the 2024 Social Impact Assessment. If such a study is to be meaningful, it must be funded by the government. Only then can we hope it will be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

The claim that the council has the money to fund this alone is misleading. Our financial stability is the result of prudent management and responsible budgeting by previous PN-led administrations. These funds exist to serve residents, not to be wasted on motions designed for political theatre.

Our Position: Study, But Only With Commitment

Nevertheless, we are not against the idea of a Carrying Capacity Study. In fact, we see it as necessary. But it must be done right—led in good faith, funded properly, and tailored to Sliema’s specific situation. And most importantly, it must lead to action. Studies that sit on shelves serve no one.

Moving Forward for Sliema

Our commitment remains clear: to defend the quality of life in Sliema and to resist attempts to reduce the town to a commercial free-for-all. We will continue to advocate for planning that serves residents, not just developers and business owners. This town deserves better—and so do the people who call it home.

Local Councils and their detrioration under a PL government.

  

If we are to understand what local councils are meant to be, not what the PL government has transformed them into; voting for the PN should be everyone's natural choice. It is a known fact that the party that truly believes in importance that local councils have to the lives of people lives is the PN. Contrary to this, the PL government considers local government goes against what their true intention is, which is having more power in their hands to influence elections to their favour. For this reason, under a PL government we are experiencing the erosion of the local council, favoring a system that centralizes power. PL confuses local government with customer care, thus impacting the lives of people with inefficiencies that are avoidable in a truly decentralised system. The efficiency brought by a PN government in 1993 when introducing local council no longer exists, and is replaced with malfunctioning system, which ensures more resources to Labour leaning council as to make them look better. It is a system that runs through the present government and its agencies, one that is intended to trade in influence to the detriment of us all.

 The creation of regional councils was intended at bringing local councils of the same region to work together on projects that benefit that given region. The true purpose of regional councils was however betrayed when they became an excuse for the PL government to strip the local councils of their powers. From garbage collection to environmental management and infrastructural maintenance, these all happen to fall under the regional council. Typically, the PL government have sought to fool people by defining regional councils as one thing only to transform them into something completely different. The ultimate aim of coordinating and supporting local councils within the region was thrown out of the window, only to encroach projects that are supposed to implemented locally. Local councils have been blamed by some for the lack of efficiency in our towns and villages. Yet this lack of efficiency is coming to a large degree from the government, especially the Public Works and Infrastructure Malta. The inefficiency of these two entities has fallen on the lap of the Local Councils, especially those with a PN majority. 

If we are to take, for example, public gardens, their day-to-day maintenance falls under the local councils. However, landscaping projects fall under the responsibility of the Public Works. In other words, renovation in public gardens as is in Independence Gardens in Sliema the local council I form part of falls under  the Public Works. Moreover, public gardens also fall under the Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning or Parks Malta which is a government agency. Just imagine what the PL government and their agencies wouldn't do to undermine PN Local Councils and in this way fomment an anti-local council environment in the locality. Little do they care that it is we as Sliema residents who are suffering their dirty tricks. Fortunately, however, local councils with a PN majority as is that in Sliema refuse to fall for this kind of trickery, and are always there to put pressure on both Government Agencies and Ministries.

If we take major road works in Malta, these fall under the responsibility of the government agency, Infrastructure Malta. If we consider the way work is done in towns and villages that have a PN majority as is Sliema, one could see only inefficiency at its worst. A case in point is how Infrastructure Malta worked on the High Street in Sliema. There were times when the number of workers on the site did not justify the magnitude of the project. It took way too long for the project to be completed, and not to mention the damage made of people's properties. Had it not been for the pressure that a PN local council made on Infrastructure Malta, especially the Mayor John Pillow, I am pretty sure that the job would be still halfway through till this very day.